BPM at high risk of data breaches

PRIORITY. All industries, even those outside of the business process management industry, should prioritize data privacy, says Contact Center Association of the Philippines director Tonichi Achurra-Parekh. (SunStar file)
PRIORITY. All industries, even those outside of the business process management industry, should prioritize data privacy, says Contact Center Association of the Philippines director Tonichi Achurra-Parekh. (SunStar file)

THE business process management (BPM) sector is stepping up data privacy and cyber security measures to sustain its competitiveness.

Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) director Tonichi Achurra-Parekh said data privacy is a big differentiator in business, especially amid evolving threats to cyber security.

BPM is one of the sectors that is at high risk of data breaches.

Parekh, however, clarified it isn’t only the BPM industry that should make data privacy a priority because it also impacts customers regardless of industry — be it banking, health care, or pharmaceuticals.

The organization is supporting a two-day conference dubbed Data Privacy Asia in Manila next month. The event features more than 15 sessions and more than 25 speakers from across the globe.

According to Parekh, they are working on raising awareness of the importance of data privacy and security at the personal level among employees so they would better understand the true value of customers’ data and why organizations should be aware and have strategies on protecting and securing the data.

He stressed compromised data can be ruinous both to the individual and the organization.

“Before, this was just a compliance issue for us — we sign a form, our computers are locked, and so on,” Parekh said. “Now we are making an effort to make sure that each and every employee understands what data privacy truly means. It’s not just a piece of paper that we sign.” The National Privacy Commission (NPC) lauded the initiatives of companies that are stepping up efforts on data privacy.

“Protecting data privacy generally gained a priority status in companies’ operational agenda, with some even beginning to demonstrate a rather mature level of compliance,” said NPC chairman Raymond Liboro.

According to the NPC, there are about 22,816 data protection officers (DPOs) registered under the agency. Some 2,939 personal information controllers (PICs) and personal information processors have finished registering their organization’s data processing systems (DPS).

The NPC has also received a total of 1,736 annual security incident report submissions.

Citizen awareness has also increased, NPC said.

It noted that from receiving an average of five inquiries per month in 2017, the agency now gets around 1,080 inquiries monthly.

Since last year, the agency has processed a total of 657 complaint-related inquiries, breach notifications, and formal complaints, majority of which were from 2018.

NPC has already resolved over 400 cases. (KOC)

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